Taxpayers will have to pay for the pain inflicted on a Mahikeng man by the police, which started with a complaint by a neighbour that he had assaulted his stepdaughter (3). According to a report on the IoL site, Petrus Tshisi was left with injuries across his body, before he was thrown into a police vehicle and locked up in a cell for a few hours. Tshisi claimed R1.2m in damages from the Police Ministry, saying the incident not only left him with physical scars, but post-traumatic stress disorder as well.

The police, however, testified that they had received a call from a member of the community that his neighbour had assaulted the child. They said they went to Tshisi’s home and spoke to him and his girlfriend about the neighbour’s accusation.

According to them, both did not respond when asked about the assaults and they thus concluded the man was guilty. They denied assaulting Tshisi, but could not explain the host of injuries he had suffered and the pictures taken of his injuries to support his claims.

Judge JT Djaje questioned the fact that the police, in light of the medical evidence regarding Tshisi’s injuries, simply denied that he was assaulted. He rejected their version and said they could not simply take the law into their own hands in dealing with a complaint. He concluded that the police were 100% liable for Tshisi’s damages.

Full report on the IoL site